In the first session of the orientation week in last September, Mr. Zhang Suogeng, deputy director of the cafeteria, informed us that our cafeteria was equipped with first-class sanitary facilities for cleaning utensils, and that the ingredients were guaranteed to be clean and fresh. At first, students and professors liked dining there and praised the dishes. However, as time went by, we grew tired...

On a busy day in Nanjing, the street corners around Jiming Temple are full of self-employed suanmingshi (算命师fortune tellers). Their “eight-character” charts, held down with bits of metal or rocks to protect against gusts of wind, are ready to show one’s entire destiny for just a few kuai. In wintertime, the suanmingshi huddle over their charts, perched on small stools and wrapped...

Getting to Know You
There is no “right” way to get to know a city. A tourist will often spend time visiting popular attractions, eating at the most well-known restaurants, and walking the most commercial streets. Although this method will give you a glimpse into the area’s history and highlights of a culture’s “特产” (tèchǎn), or special local products, it provides little more than...

In contrast to dazzling rail projects, China’s urban bus transit remains a neglected area
China is investing billions in flashy new rail networks. Nevertheless the vast majority of China’s urban population still relies on public buses as the main mode for getting around, but they see far fewer of the upgrades in speed and conditions enjoyed by rail passengers. Whereas rich cities like Beijing,...

Why does it always take depressing situations to make us realize how truly lucky most of us are? Yesterday on April 12, major renovation of a nearby alleyway reached a new level. While renovation of a deteriorating alleyway may not sound like a wholly unwholesome idea and the word alleyway itself doesn’t typically conjure up images of utopian paradise, this is a special case.
Alleys in fact have...